Website Training

Website training for Stokes County businesses continues. If you have a website that was build by us for you or you have a site built by someone else, it doesn't matter. We want you to join us on June 21 at the Shelton Room of the King Library. Stacy Jones will be weaving her web magic and I promise you will learn with valuable information. ‘Do It Yourself’ Website Sales Workshop Presented by Stokes County Economic Development Program FREE, Open to everyone! June 21st, 1 - 5 p.m King Public Library 1 - 3 p.m.: Stokes County Free Websites for Business Overview 3 - 5p.m.: How to add E-commerce/Sales to your website (New by request) Selling from your website Ebay and Etsy Pinterest and Facebook Stokes County Website Program How-To’s Workshops taught by Stacy Jones www.mudfootmarketing.com

What's Going On in Stokes

I was working on my website links today and realized I had not updated Jessup Mill in some time. I took a few moments to look at the site and am really pleased to see all the wonderful activities they have lined up for the season. If you are looking for something to do this spring or summer, for a day or a week, check them out. It sure looks like fun to me:

Customer Service and Buying Local

I have been dealing with a great many companies of varying types over the past several weeks, local and national. From my perspective from this experience, our local folks stack up pretty well.

I have been dealing with estate issues after my mothers death. This is difficult under the best of circumstances but when you are faced with ill-trained and uncaring voices and faces it makes it even tougher. That is why my experiences with our local businesses this week has been a ray of sunshine. From the different restaurants, general stores, grocery stores, hardware stores and other places in Stokes County, each and every one have performed above and beyond my expectations. And it wasn't just me, I made it a point of paying attention to everyone that I saw in the stores and watched as they were treated with respect. The wait staffs were friendly and courteous, the managers of the tire shop and the hardware store were knowledgeable and pleasant. It made me feel good and helped me deal with the not so pleasant tasks that popped up during the balance of the week.

I want to say a big thank you to each and everyone of them and I am even more committed to buying local at each and every opportunity. If your experiences have been similar to mine, I hope you will join me and Think Stokes First!

Buy Local Opportunities Abound!

In case you have not being paying attention to what is going on in the county, the variety of your opportunities to visit and patronize businesses is increasing! We have a new clothing store in King (Dalton's Crossing has been open for a little longer than one month), we have a new BBQ restaurant in King: the Pig Shack located at 700 E. King St, serving award winning food. Coffee Tea and Me has expanded their menu with delicious soups, salads and sandwiches. We have a new furniture store in Walnut Cove and on top of this we will be celebrating a Sheetz Grand Opening tomorrow morning at 11 AM.

Each and every one of our businesses in the county is precious and deserves to be celebrated. We appreicate the effort, hard work and spirit they provide. The businesses mentioned above have created or will be creating over 70 jobs in Stokes County. Please join me in thanking them for the jobs they create, the income they bring to the community and the support they provide. Thank them with your words and your hard earned money.

Think Stokes First with every purchase you make and have a great day!

SHEETZ GRAND OPENING!

If you have been driving by and watching the progress, as I have, here is good news! Sheetz will be opening their new location in King next Thursday. Hope you can join me to welcome these folks to Stokes County!

FOR MORE INFORMATION: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monica Jones Mjones@sheetz.com March 7, 2012
(814) 207-4155 cell
Mike Horn MikeH@velaagency.com
336-414-4497

Sheetz Opens New Convenience Restaurant
In King, NC, Thursday at 11 a.m.

Area Residents Expected to Start Lining Up Before Day Break
To Be Among First 50 to Receive $100 Gift Cards


King, NC – If past Sheetz openings are any indication, area residents are expected to be waiting in line before day break to be among the first 50 in line to receive $100 Sheetz gift cards at the opening of the company’s newest store in King, NC, at 11 a.m. this Thursday, March 15th.

“Each new store we open is drawing larger and larger crowds, with many people arriving hours before the official opening to be part of the excitement,” says Stan Sheetz, company president and CEO. “We can't wait to serve our new friends in the King area as they become part of the Sheetz’ experience.”

Travis Sheetz, Vice President of Operations, will join local officials at the 10:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting at the new 5,941 square foot store. The 703 East King Street location will be one of ten new Sheetz stores opening in North Carolina this year and will feature a convenient drive-through for Sheetz’ trademark fast service. During the King opening, customers can play games to win prizes and enjoy delicious samples of Sheetz food and specialty beverages.

The new Sheetz will provide an economic boost to the area, creating 40 to 45 new full and part time jobs, and add $3.5 million taxable property value to the city and county tax base. Additionally, Sheetz has been a proud supporter of the Special Olympics for more than 20 years and will make a donation to the local chapter of Special Olympics North Carolina as part of the opening festivities.

The King Sheetz will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offer fresh food items like Sheetz’ signature Made To Order (MTO®) items that include Angus beef burgers, premium grilled chicken sandwiches, freshly made salads, French fries, onion rings and more. The new store will also feature are MTGo! and Shweetz Bakery lines of sandwiches, wraps, donuts and muffins, along with Sheetz Bros. Coffeez®, a full-service espresso and smoothie bar staffed by a trained barista where customers can order hand-made specialty coffee drinks including lattes, cappuccinos and mochas - hot, frozen or iced.

-end-


Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz, Inc. is one of America’s fastest growing family-owned and operated convenience restaurant chains, with more than $5 billion in annual revenue and more than 14,500 employees. The company operates 412 locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina. Sheetz provides an award-winning menu of MTO® subs, sandwiches and salads, which are ordered through unique touch-screen order point terminals. Sheetz currently ranks on the Best Places to Work list in Ohio a, North Carolina and Virginia and has been on the list in Pennsylvania for ten consecutive years. All Sheetz convenience restaurants are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For more information, visit www.sheetz.com.

Starting Small Can Make a Difference

My wonderful bride sent me this link. It is a statement of what a few people pulling together can do. No reason we can't do this in Stokes County:
In the era of big boxes, a day for the little guy
By AMY SANCETTA | Associated Press – Wed, Jan 25, 2012 7:33 AM EST
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CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio (AP) — It began quietly, as an email to 40 friends.
But when a steady stream of customers began coming through the door before the family-owned Chagrin Hardware had even opened for the day on Saturday, it was clear that it had turned into much more than that.
The idea started with Jim Black, a resident of Chagrin Falls, a close-knit village in Cleveland's eastern suburbs that is part artist colony and part bedroom community. Black posted the email to a group of his friends. "Let's show our support for one of our local businesses," he wrote. "I challenge everyone to spend AT LEAST $20 at the hardware on the 21st."
Although his email referred to the idea of a "Cash Mob" or the notion to "Occupy CF Hardware," he really had no political agenda. And it wasn't meant as a protest against the big-box stores that have created an ever-tightening circle around the community.
It was just a way to thank Chagrin Hardware's owners for a beloved shop that has been a fixture in the village since 1857.
"These are good people who needed our support," Black said. "It's just that simple."
The store, overlooking meandering Riverside Park and the Chagrin River in the middle of town, has been run by the Shutts family for the last 72 years. It passed from uncle to father to older brothers Rob and Kenny and the three youngest, Steve, Susie and Jack, who run the store today.
Black's note was forwarded and forwarded and forwarded again. Calls started coming in from folks out of state who wanted to make a purchase over the phone.
And when the day came, so did the shoppers — one by one, with dogs on leashes and children in tow, hour after hour until the hardware was teeming with customers.
"This is small-town America," said resident Martine Scheuermann, a bag of pet-safe ice melt in her arms and her Springer Spaniels tapping their toes on the worn wooden floor at her feet. "This is a special family business in a town where everybody knows you."
The store has seen its share of tough times. Road construction on Main Street at the store's front door some years back crippled business for a time. More recently, the weakened economy and the big boxes have stolen away customers.
On this day, though, those storylines were forgotten.
By 10 a.m. the place was jammed. By 1:30 p.m., the credit card machine was overloaded and had to be reset. "This is so cool," said Steve Shutts, a mix of joy, wonder and happy exhaustion spread across his face. "I've seen people today I haven't seen in years."
The line at the checkout stretched in two directions as people with snow shovels and light bulbs and fireplace grates and vintage movie posters and horse shoe caulk — yes, horse shoe caulk — waited to pay.
Chad Schron, 38, came with his 8-year-old son Robert. "We didn't have anything we had to get, but we found things we had to get," he said. As he spoke, Robert clutched an Ohio State desk lamp and two flying monkey toys to his chest.
"When I was a kid, my Mom would send me down here with a note to let me buy BB's," Schron recalled. "Lots of kids did that back then. The notes still are in a drawer over there," he said as he pointed past the register to a wall of wooden drawers containing everything from old springs to screws. In the drawer still labeled "BBs" were stacks of crumpled notes dating to the '50s, from mothers just like Schron's
When the final customer had finally left well after closing time with her fuzzy dice and floodlights, Schwind and Steve Shutts tallied the day's receipts. Shutts shook his head at the wild and unexpected ride.
He wouldn't say how much the store made that day, but was clearly pleased with the outcome.
"Thanks to Jimmy Black," he said. "Thanks to everyone. Thanks to Chagrin Falls.
"What a place to live."
@yahoofinance on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook

Trends in The Restaruant Business

If you are wondering what to grow on your farm or how to produce what the markets are asking for, the information below may be of some use. Hope it helps and Think Stokes First!

From the Restaurant News magazine daily updates:

The National Restaurant Association's "What's Hot in 2012" survey of nearly 1,800 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – reveals that children's nutrition and local sourcing will be the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2012.

The chefs also identified smartphone apps and tablet computers as the top technology trends. In addition, 6 out of 10 chefs said they would consider a food truck as an entrepreneurial business venture.

The top 10 menu trend predictions include:

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood

2. Locally grown produce

3. Healthful kids' meals

4. Hyper-local items

5. Sustainability as a culinary theme

6. Children's nutrition as a culinary theme

7. Gluten-free/food allergy-conscious items

8. Locally produced wine and beer

9. Sustainable seafood

10. Whole grain items in kids' meals

Holicay Thank You!

As I travel across the county, I have the opportunity to look at the large variety of locally owned and operated businesses we have and realize that we are truly blessed. This hardy band of entrepreneurs work long hours to provide goods and services for the citizens in Stokes County. I want to take a moment during this Holiday season to say a BIG THANK YOU!

Thank you to all the operators of general stores in the county. I love to walk in, take a deep breath and embrace the warmth and good cheer that surrounds me. It reminds me of my childhood, a time when we didn’t know what a big box was. We depended on them for more than simply a place to purchase food and other staples. We could go there for news, advice and we could always expect to find a fire in the woodstove on cold winter days.

Thanks to the owners of the hardware and building supply stores in the county. These are great places for do-it-yourselfers like me that sometimes get in over their heads. They not only carry a huge variety of items on their shelves (at really good prices), but they are willing to take the time to explain what I need to do to fix my problems before they really get out of hand. You don’t find this depth of knowledge at a superstore.

Thanks to our local garages, our dance studios, our florists, our insurance providers, our medical providers, our local farmers and the many other local businesses that I don’t have room to mention if this limited space.

If these words ring true to you during this special time of the year, please join me in visiting and shopping our Stokes County businesses. There are many special events planned in King, Walnut Cove and other areas of the county over the next few weeks. Stop in, say hello to your neighbors and friends while you Think Stokes First!

Buy Local Shopping in King

Friday - December 9- 5:00-9:00 pm- Holiday “Night on the Town” The King Chamber of Commerce invites you to an evening of holiday celebration and shopping in the local shopping centers and downtown stores. There will be carolers from Miss Joyce’s Dance Studio and Wishful Thinkers will perform from 7:30-9:00 pm at Coffee, Tea & Me. Many merchants plan to offer refreshments in sharing the holiday spirit. Habitat for Humanity will be celebrating the Grand Opening of their Re-Store with a ribbon cutting at 7:00 pm, and with a Holiday Market of vendors in their building. Dalton’s Crossing, a new clothing store coming to the downtown area will also provide a “sneak peek” and their corner building will house Bubble Me Pink girls’ accessories, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Tupperware vendors. Stop by the Chamber office to visit vendors there including Elke’s Shoppe collectibles, Mimi’s Accessories for Women, Pitter Pat Boutique with decorative clothing and accessories for children, Bill McKinnis and Jennifer Sealey with tinware and beeswax candles, the Loveday’s woodcrafts and Jan Rollyson’s ceramics. Stop by Bunny’s Trees to have your picture made with Santa. Stores including those below will be open in many locations with special merchandise ready for your gift giving:Downtown King -Gentry’s Store-Radio Flyer toys, Schrade Commemorative Knife-150th anniversary of the Confederate States of America, Eden Pure Heaters and sleds Terry’s Furniture-great selection of quality furniture ready for delivery now Nothing Ordinary Unique Gifts-huge variety of gifts and decorative items with up to 75% from 6:00-9:00 pm on selected items Carroll Memorials-marble bookends and desk nameplates, fossil stone candlesticks, pen and pencil sets and flags Mickey & Co. Hair Designs-specials for the evening: single color shellac-$20, double color shellac-$23, French shellac-$25; Waxing: eyebrows-$7, lip-$5, lip & eyebrow-$10 Gift certificates , flat irons and haircare products will be available for purchase. Coffee, Tea & Me-live music, women’s accessories, and of course wonderful beverages King Music Center-instruments, music and lessonsKing Computer Center-electronics and suppliesB.J’s Shoes-boots, Converse and Pointer Brand overalls. Miss Joyce’s Dance Studio- dancewear, gift certificates and performances by the Musical Theatre students Dalton’s Crossing-men and women’s clothing store opening in February Talley’s Flower Shop-live plants, home décor, candles, stuffed animals and much more Habitat for Humanity of Stokes County-Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting at 7:00 pm on Friday, December 9 at the new office and ReStore, 117 Dalton Road. Habitat will also have a Christmas Market in their new facility featuring Carolyn Tilley with Handmade Baskets, Kim Burroughs with quilted items, Amanda Hamilton with Premier Designs Jewelry and Jeanette Pardue with Scentsy. King Shopping Center King Antique Mall-antiques, collectibles, advertising items, glassware and Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookies

Tradewinds Consignments and Jewelry-nice collection of winter apparel and accessoriesAbba’s Family Thrift Store-toys, clothing, books and holiday decorating items. All porcelain dolls-$3.00, all Christmas items-25% off, all books $0.25 .King Chamber of Commerce –Limited Edition King T-shirts - (Construction Survivor). Prices are (S-M-LG - $10.00) and (XXL - $12.00) Yhese make great socking stuffers

Who Buys at Farmers Markets

I wanted to take the opportunity to share an interesting article concerning a study done on farmers markets in central NC. The growing trend of consumers to demand higher quality food is driving demand but there are some disturbing facts that come to light in this report. Take few moments and read the report.

FARMERS’ MARKETS IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA:
Who’s Buying and Who’s Selling?
Mitch Renkow, Professor and Extension Specialist
Nicholas Georgiade, Graduate Research Assistant
The past several years have seen a marked
increase in the importance of farmers’ markets
as places for consumers to purchase locallygrown
food products and as venues for farmers
to sell fruits, vegetables, meat, and poultry.
Nationally, the number of farmers’ markets
increased by over 16% in the last year alone,
according to recent USDA figures. Among
states, North Carolina currently ranks 10th in the
nation with 217 farmers’ markets in operation.
Some have argued that farmers’ markets —
and more generally, local food systems —
represent a potentially important means of
stimulating local economies by re-invigorating
the local agricultural sector. Others contend
that due to a variety of factors – increased
nutritional awareness, food safety concerns,
and interest in supporting local farmers, to
name a few — the popularity of farmers’
markets among consumers will continue to
grow into the foreseeable future. Gauging the
validity of these contentions requires knowledge
of the motivation of participants in farmers’
markets. This issue of the NC State Economist
reports on-going research aimed at
understanding why farmers in central North
Carolina choose to sell produce at farmers’
markets, and why shoppers choose to purchase
produce at farmers’ markets.
Who Sells at Farmers’ Markets?
Between July and September of 2009 we
conducted a survey of vendors at seven
farmers’ markets in and around the Research
Triangle — Carrboro, Durham, Raleigh,
Burlington, Western Wake (Apex), Hillsborough,
and Cary. All of these farmers’ markets require
vendors’ farms to be located within 75 miles.
A total of 76 vendors were interviewed to learn
November / December 2011
about their farm characteristics as well as
marketing and production choices that they
made. Given the relatively close proximity of
the various markets to one another, some
farmers had a presence at two or more markets
in a given week; such “multi-venue” vendors
were only interviewed once.
Vendors tend to be small farmers. As shown
in Figure 1, more than half of the vendors we
interviewed farmed less than five acres. On the
other end of the spectrum, 6 out of 76 vendors
farmed over 100 acres; all of these were beef
and pork producers. Vendors tended to hire
few people to assist at farmers’ markets, with
more than 80% employing two or less workers.
In terms of product mix, most vendors — more
than 85% — sell vegetables, either exclusively
or in combination with other products. Smaller
numbers of farmers sell fruit and animal
products. Vendors of animal products tend to
be more likely to only sell animal products,
whereas vendors who sold fruit also tended to
sell vegetables. Interestingly, the vast majority
of vendors (73 out of 76) indicated that they
sell all of their produce locally; and of the few
farmers that did sell to non-local customers,
their non-local business in no case exceeded
10% of total sales. More than half of vendors
interviewed indicated that they sell over 90%
of their output at farmers’ markets, while an
additional 20% indicated that they sell between
50% and 90% of their output at farmers’
markets. Taken as a whole, these findings
suggest that farmers who participate in farmers’
markets overwhelmingly gear their production
activities to the local market.
In sum, the vendor survey results suggest that
sellers at farmers’ markets overwhelmingly
tend to be small-scale, predominantly vegetable
growers who employ relatively few individuals
for the marketing of their produce, and who
orient their production activities toward serving
local customers. Note that this characterization
of producers who participate in farmers’
markets accords with evidence that has been
developed by researchers in other parts of
the country (Martinez, et al. 2010).
Who Buys at Farmers’ Markets?
Throughout the peak seasons of 2009 and
2010 we surveyed 329 shoppers at four of the
busiest farmers’ markets in the Research
Triangle — Carrboro, Durham, Raleigh, and
Western Wake. Shoppers were intercepted at
market entrances and asked a series of
questions to elicit information on who buys
produce at farmers’ markets and what their
motivations are.
Table 1 presents selected results from the
survey. Shoppers at the surveyed farmers’
markets were overwhelmingly Caucasian,
mainly female, lived or worked relatively close
to the venue at which they were shopping, and
tended to visit the farmers’ market about once
a week. A strikingly large fraction of all produce
purchased by respondents — nearly 30% —
was procured at farmers’ markets, an indication
of a strong commitment to consumption of
local foods.
In order to assess the factors that most
influenced consumers’ decisions to shop at
farmers’ markets, respondents were asked to
rank on a scale of 1–5 the importance of a
variety of attributes of the foods that they
routinely purchase. The responses we received
suggest that food quality characteristics —
including freshness, flavor, nutritiousness, and
food safety — are regarded as the most
important attributes to shoppers at farmers’
markets. Also emerging as important to the
farmers’ market shoppers we surveyed was that
the food they purchased was produced locally.
Interestingly, the survey results suggest that
this latter characteristic was deemed somewhat
more important, on average, than actually
connecting with the grower of the product being
purchased (“direct connection to food source”).
On the other side of the spectrum, price and
brand loyalty appear to be somewhat less
important to shoppers in terms of what drives
their purchasing behavior. More than half of
3
November / December 2011
those surveyed indicated that they regard
prices to be higher at farmers’ markets than at
retail outlets, whereas only about one in eight
indicated that they regard prices at farmers’
markets to generally be lower than at retail
outlets. This suggests that consumers at
farmers’ markets are willing to pay a premium
for foods that they acquire at those venues
because of perceived higher quality (broadly
defined) of locally grown food products —
again, a finding that echoes research
conducted in other parts of the country.
Also interesting is the fact that while the great
majority of shoppers expressed an opinion that
prices are higher at farmers’ markets, we
observed that prices at nearby grocery stores
are in many cases – particularly at peak harvest
times — above those of comparable items at
the farmers’ markets. (Note, however, that
observed meat and egg prices were with very
few exceptions substantially higher at farmers’
markets than at nearby retail outlets).
Implications
The proliferation of farmers’ markets in North
Carolina (and nationwide) has drawn significant
attention in recent years. On the basis of
research that has been conducted around the
country, it appears that this trend has been
driven by growing consumer demand – and
willingness to pay a premium — for the
perceived superior quality of locally produced
foods. Our survey results are right in line with
this general assessment. Moreover, our
research on participating farmers suggests that
the increased demand for locally produced food
is being met primarily by small farmers
specializing in serving local farmers’ markets —
a finding that is also in line with the findings of
research conducted elsewhere.
Taken together, these observations imply that
the growing importance of farmers’ markets is
a demand-led phenomenon, one that is in
many respects reminiscent of trends in food
demand underpinning the dramatic increase in
popularity of “high-end” food retailers like Whole
Foods. However, it is important to bear in mind
while the share of agricultural products sold
directly from farmers to consumers has grown
substantially in recent year, this share is still
quite small – recent estimates put it at between
0.4 and 0.8 percent nationally (Martinez, et al.
2010). And in urbanized areas like the
Research Triangle (where our surveys were
conducted), the dominant role of specialized,
small producers in meeting consumer demands
for local foods appears to represent a
significant factor limiting future increases in the
share of total food consumption met by localvember / December 2011
production. Finally, and in contrast, in sparsely
populated rural areas where both farm sizes
and output per farm are larger, it seems likely
that the much smaller numbers of potential local
consumers represents a more profound
constraint on the ultimate market share of
locally produced foods.
______________________________________
Reference
Martinez, S., et al. 2010. Local Food Systems: Concepts,
Impacts, and Issues. Economic Research Report No. 97,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research
Service, Washington, DC.

Shoppers Special in King

On December 9th, many of the retailers in King will be offering extended hours, til 9 PM to give shoppers an oppourtunity to discover what they have to offer and give folks a chance to slow down, avoid the maddening crowd and finish up their Christmas shopping at a more leisurely pace. There will be holiday music provided by carolers, cookies and cider for the shoppers and an opportunity for new vendors to offers their goods. The King Chamber will have a limited number of booths available for the evening. Give them a call at 336-983-9308 for more details.

This is a chance to make a changee in your shopping habits and to support your friends and neighbors during the holidays and maybe even find that Christmas spirit that has been so elusive.

See you December 9th, if not before.

Good idea for Stokes County

I received this from a friend this week. It fits in nicely with our efforts to improve the local economy. Let me know what you think.

THIS IS A GREAT THOUGHT



Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition



As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!



It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?



Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.



Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.



Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.



There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.



How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?



Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.



My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.



OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.



Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.



Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.



Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.



You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.



Forward this to everyone on your mailing list, post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?








Shirley

Shirley Marquez
Vice President
Heritage Bank of North Florida

Others seem to be getting it.

Post found from lower MD paper on local job growth. Sounds like they were in our board meeting:

Creating jobs locally
The topic of the county’s annual economic development’s summit last week was “Harvest Our Own: Cultivating Growth and Job Creation From Within.” A development expert told those in attendance that government should spend less time in today’s economic environment trying to entice major corporations to come to town and instead spend more time supporting the businesses that are already here. Local consumers can offer the same kind of support by buying local whenever they can.

Many of the summit’s topics centered on and offered help for small businesses. The agenda featured sessions that offered good advice to small business owners and tips for survival in a down economy. That was a good start. But there are many resources currently available in Charles County that those considering opening a business or the new entrepreneur can readily take advantage of.

For starters, at the College of Southern Maryland, the Small Business Development Center can offer assistance to those considering starting a business. The professionals there can offer tips on how to get money, how to write a business plan and what kinds of skills you need, for example. The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland has a workforce and business development office and programs available.

The business calendar in today’s paper on page B-7 lists nearly a dozen local organizations and networking groups that can offer invaluable help for anyone in business or starting a business. From the Charles County Chamber of Commerce to the technology council there are offers of networking events. In Wednesday’s edition, there was news of a Business Alliance of Charles County that is forming to provide legislative advocacy and community service opportunities and, of course, more networking events. There are plenty of people in the business community who are willing to share their expertise.

According to the Small Business Administration, 50 percent of small businesses fail in the first five years. Experts blame that statistic on several issues, some of them being that people who start their own business lack the experience and have insufficient capital to run their enterprises, conducted inadequate research, chose the wrong locations and often failed to ask for help when the going got tough.

It is a challenging time for those thinking of taking the first step into the business world as well as those who are already doing business here. The summit chose a great topic. No Fortune 500 company is coming to the county anytime soon, so the county’s economic development will have to depend on small businesses to create new jobs. The good news is that Charles County has resources to offer and most of them are relatively inexpensive to access.
ound the story below in my blog reading today. It sounds like they recorded one of our planning sessions and uses it at tgeir meeting. It is not about hunting buffalo, it is about building on and supporting the businesses in our community. Maybe if enough of us sound the charge we can make a difference:

Importance of Supporting Small Business and Buying Local

Working to maintain and assist with the growth of our existing businesses in Stokes County has been one of our four main focuses over the past three years. That support and our efforts to assist entrepreneurs with their endeavors occupies the majority of our time, energy and marketing budget for economic development. The report below addresses why this is important. Small businesses, which make up over 95% of all the entities in Stokes County are responsible for the vast majoirty of job growth that occurs. Buying Local is an important part of sustaining these businesses and helping them in their efforts to create new jobs and wealth in the community. Are you doing your part to make this happen. See our website to watch our buy local video and take the buy local pledge. Think Stokes First!

A bright spot for small businesses: Job creation
By Nin-Hai Tseng, writer-reporter November 1, 2011: 10:15 AM ET It's easy to blame the little guy for persistently high unemployment, but the reality is that many small businesses are actually hiring while big companies aren't.
FORTUNE – U.S. small businesses are often thought of as the engine of job creation. During the past decade, mom-and-pop shopkeepers, plumbers and the like created more than 60% of net private-sector jobs. So when the economy turned sour, it wasn't surprising that small businesses bore the brunt of the blame for high unemployment.

It's true that the little guys drove more of the drop in employment during the recession. They also held back on hiring during the early stages of the economic recovery. But today small firms are doing better than most think, according to a Capital Economics report.

Even though widely cited surveys suggest they continue having a gloomy picture of the economy, small businesses are actually hiring considerably more than big companies. Since last March, firms with 500 or fewer employees have added 60,000 jobs a month to private payroll employment "while large businesses have added nothing," says Paul Dales, an economist with Capital Economics, citing ADP employment surveys.

This comes as President Obama focuses on giving small business tax credits and other incentives in his $447 billion jobs plan. It also comes as the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) paints a bleak economic picture. The small employer lobbying group's latest optimism index showed that "September was another bad job creation month," with the percentage of small firms with one or more job openings dropping to 14% from 15% in August. What's more, such firms saw a 5% decline in employment during the last three months and haven't seen an increase in jobs since December 2007.

"Things are pretty bad but they're not as bad as some believe," Dales says.

It's not to say that small firms aren't struggling like the rest of us. Unemployment remains high. And the housing market continues to constrain consumers' spending power, giving small business owners (and big companies) less reason to hire more workers.

Indeed, they're not hiring like they used to. But why all the excess gloom?

It could be that perhaps the smallest firms are having a rougher go of it. Think of your neighborhood hardware store with 10 or fewer employees. The NFIB says such businesses make up more than half (70%) of members surveyed for its index. By contrast, the ADP, which generally labels small firms as those having fewer than 500 employees, is seeing job creation.

The differences highlight that even though small businesses are often clumped together by everyone from politicians to policymakers, their potential to hire, expand and innovate vary widely. This is something that researchers at the University of Chicago recently pointed out. Erik Hurst and Benjamin Wild Puglsey say most surviving small businesses aren't particularly innovative. Nor do they spend much on research and development. What's more, they tend not to grow "by any significant margin."

More to the point: It's the difference between the Jack Dorsey's of the world versus the owners of your corner convenient store. Whereas Dorsey's Twitter has grown to 600-plus employees since it was created in 2006, the corner store will likely stay the same size at least for many years.

We've seen this with tech-start-ups, which naturally start out small and are the few firms doing much hiring today. As my colleague Dan Primack pointed out earlier this year, a survey of executives of early-stage companies in the software, hardware, life sciences and cleantech sectors show that startup hiring is on the rise this year. According to Silicon Valley Bank, two-thirds of respondents said that overall business conditions have improved during the past year, and three-quarters expect things to get even better in the next 12 months.

And so Washington politicos and policymakers – many eager to lend small firms a helping hand – may want to look deeper at the array of businesses out there. After all, just because they start off small doesn't mean they're created equal. And so they probably shouldn't be treated as such

Are you a value added person?

This question popped into my head as I was viewing a clip on the state of manufacturing in the US. In most cases, the greater the value that a company is able to bring to a product, the better their profit margins and the more successful they will be. I think that people can probably be judged in the same way.

To me, this means giving more back to the world than you take away. It may be as simple as a smile and pat on the back or a kind word. It could be helping someone get their groceries into their car (as a very kind young man did for my mother last week.) It could be stopping to help a woman who was frantic over her pet being hit by and car on a cold and rainy night (as my wife did this week.) It doesn't cost anything to be a value added person and the rewards in how you feel about yourself are tremendous.

I am sure you are asking yourself by this time: What has this to do with a buy local project? To me it is very simple: by shopping from businesses that are in our community, you are adding value to your friends and neighbors, creating wealth that stays in the county, creating jobs and growth.

Our retailers can be value added people as well, offering the best prices and service possible. Taking time to give their customers a smile and giving referals to other businesses in the county whenever possible.

By adding a little value to each others lives, we can make Stokes County an even better and more vibrant community in which to live.

Think Stokes First: The Arts Are Economic Development

Picking up where I left off with my last article, buying local and our effort to “Think Stokes First” is just a part of the process needed to help the county’s economy grow. It is an important part but by itself, it cannot sustain us alone.

Understanding that this is the case, our economic development efforts are very focused on retaining existing business and looking at every opportunity to help them grow. The EDC Board and the Board of County Commissioners understand that this is where the bulk of job growth will take place. “Think Stokes First” is just a part of this process, as is developing tourism, working with entrepreneurs, and whenever possible, recruiting new businesses to the area.

Our focus today is on the “Arts” and our artist community as an economic development engine. We are very fortunate to have a vibrant art community in Stokes County. The Stokes County Arts Council is led by a dynamic director: Eddy McGee. Eddy is supported by an extremely active board of directors. This small group strives to make art real for the entire community, from engaging our students in the schools, to hosting a winter desert theater, to providing venues all across the county for artisans of all kinds to practice their craft and to promote it to our citizens.

The arts and our artisans are essential to the health and vitality of our communities. They improve the quality of life in our cities and town. They enhance community development; spur urban renewal; attract new businesses and draw tourism dollars. Most artists and craftspeople are problem solvers and critical thinkers.

In addition, a healthy arts community acts as an economic engine for the county. A prime example would be the many live music events that take place during the year and the Stokes Stomp in particular. This year, the Stomp drew approximately 16,000 people to Danbury and for two days, transformed it into the largest municipality in the county and based on survey information gathered during the event spent about $1 million while they were in town.

While the other events of a musical or artistic nature do not have quite so dramatic an impact, all arts add significantly to the quality of life, which helps make this county an even more desirable location. The arts and crafts specific to our area define our unique characteristics, they attract tourists and other artists, they educate and keep alive our artistic customs and they contribute to the economic well-being of the community.

So if you are looking for a gift or a great way to pass some time this weekend, think about making the purchase from a local artisan or stop by that live music event at a local restaurant. It all comes down to “Think Stokes First.”

Buy Local Support

The Stokes County Board of Commissioners passsed a "Buy Local" Proclamation and it was signed on September 12 (see above). The Commissioners understand, as do I, that we must support local businesses for Stokes County to grow and thrive. I will be taking the campaign to all the municipalities in the county in the next few weeks as well as to anyone else that will stop and listen to the message. Help spread the word and stop by the Stokes EDC Booth at KingFest to sign your "Buy Local" Pledge. You can make a difference.

Think Stokes First

The Stokes County Economic Development Commission (EDC) along with assistance from the King Chamber of Commerce and the Walnut Cove Main Street merchants are embarking on a “Buy Local” campaign for Stokes County. The campaign, to be tagged “Think Stokes First” is intended to raise the awareness of why making purchase of goods and services is important to not only the businesses in Stokes County but for our residents as well.

Let’s start the conversation with a number: $397,030,630. That is the estimated gap or amount of retail purchases made by Stokes county residents (in this case residents includes businesses located in the county) outside of the borders of the county or 62% of all retail purchases. Why should this concern you, you ask? There are many reasons but the most important are:
• Sales tax is now reimbursed to counties based on where purchases are made, not on the population of the county. When you make a purchase outside of the county, your are in effect supporting the economic health of those counties, not where you live
• Choosing to make your purchases outside of the county takes away revenue from local businesses that are the heart and soul of the community. These are your friends and neighbors who support your schools, churches and local charities. If you don’t support them, they can’t stay in business and we all suffer
• Making a special trip outside the county to make a purchase probably costs you money. If you have a 40 mile round trip to make a purchase you should add at least $20 to the price of your purchase (IRS allows .555/mile so you can consider this as your break-even rate) plus the value of your time it take to make the trip, your $100 purchase suddenly cost the equivalent of $135, not much of a saving, is it.
We know that it isn’t as simple as this, a large percentage of our residents work outside the county and there are many products that we have less than an adequate supply. That is okay, we do not expect to capture the majority or even a large minority of these sales but think about this: a change of 5% would mean an additional $19,000,000 in revenue to businesses in the county and a significant increase in sales tax revenue. Before you make your next purchase, Think Stokes First, it will make a difference.

Local Sustainablility Festival

Local food production and the local food movement is one of our initiatives in Stokes County. In trying to focus on our main assets and work to revitialize has been based on agriculture and manufacturing, we must focus on what we have and what we are good at. If this is your passion or you are interested, it will be time well spent.

There will be a local sustainability festival on Sept. 25 from 10:30 to 4:30 at the Hare Krishna Temple. Please see details listed below.

Here's the latest and the greatest!

Dear Friends,

The Local Sustainability Festival will be held
Sept. 25 , 10:30 to 4:30

Hare Krishna Temple
1283 Prabhupada Rd
Sandy Ridge, NC 27046

We are currently dependent on a system that is bound to fail.
Practically all of our food and other resources are delivered from far away.

What if we knew that in 10 years the cost of fuel would rise to $25 a gallon?

What steps can be taken in preparation for that possibility?

This is the subject matter for our upcoming event.

The following Local Speakers and Activists will each give a half hour presentation;

Vivian and Randy Fulk- This couple have developed Medley Meadows in King where they operate a CSA, hold music festivals in their vineyard as well as promote agri-tourism in our county.
www.medleymeadows.com
Vivian regularly speaks on Climate change at Guilford College,A & T,UNCG and Wake Forest ,where she was on the Sustainability Board.
She had been on the board of directors for our Local Sierra Club and has worked with Al Gore in promoting awareness of Global Climate Change.
http://www.medleymeadows.com/AIT/TCP_Press_Release_vgf.htm
Randy will be teaching An Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture.at Surrey Community College.he is also an excellent musician, writing a lot of his own songs.www.randyfulk.com



John Hartman and Kay Ritchie- Growing Sorghum, A Three Way Crop
This couple live near Danbury and have been living without electricity in their log cabin for as long as I've known them.They farm without tractors,using their horse team.

John and Kay have been growing and processing Sorghum into molasses for about 10 years now. The seeds is a major grain crop in many parts of the world.Kay feeds it to their livestock including their milk cow, who is like part of the family to them.Winter squash is grown amongst the sorghum giving 3 crops in one field.

Mathura and Aravinda -Trees That Will Feed Your Family For Generations
Many of you already know my neighbor Mathura. He runs a CSA and lives in a cob house that he built from the mud on his land. He and his wife Chitra raise cows, goats, sheep and use horses as draft animals.
Aravinda is new here.From West Virginia, he has a lot of experience growing Paw Paws and other easy care fruit and nut trees.

-Brian Heagney -Wild Food Hike-Brian's been studying this for a few years and hosts events where the group forages,then shares a meal. Here is a portion of his website devoted to this topic;
http://www.brianheagney.com/html/wild_studio.html


-Luke Staengl - Appropriate Use of BioFuels.
Co-founder of the Bio-based Materials Center at Virginia Polytechnic Institute,Luke has founded and served as chief executive officer for three companies involved in converting biomass to fuel, fiber, feed and other high value products.
Please see his interesting resume (attached) and the website for his company PescoBeam http://pescova.com

Julie Johnson-"Who Lives Downstream From Your Energy?"
In NC we have been blessed to not have the "resource" of coal underground.
In Appalachia, thousands of communities are being threatened daily by the relentless extraction of coal. The most devastating form of coal mining is mountaintop removal, a process with which the coal industry has already blasted over 500 mountains and buried over 2000 miles of headwater streams. The EPA puts it like this:
The impact of mountaintop removal on nearby communities is devastating. Dynamite blasts needed to splinter rock strata are so strong they crack the foundations and walls of houses. Mining dries up an average of 100 wells a year and contaminates water in others. In many coalfield communities, the purity and availability of drinking water are keen concerns.

King Chamber of Commerce Silent Auction

Imagine yourself basking in the warmth of the spring sunshine as you are refreshed by a gentle ocean breeze. Soak up those tanning rays or shop and dine to your heart’s content along our state’s crystal coast. Golfers, just ponder weekend rounds on the meticulously maintained course of a well-known resort. You can make this vision a reality for you (and 2 guests) by having the winning bid for the weekend stay for two at Sea Trail Resort
at Sunset Beach. The complimentary weekend lodging was donated by Tim Hall of Helsabeck-Hall Insurance, Kevin Walker of Doctors Vision Center and Craig Harris. Silent auction bids will be accepted on this in the Chamber Office until April 29. Stop by and place your bid for the weekend getaway, a handmade quilt, a barbecue grill/smoker and other great prizes. The final silent auction bids will be taken at the One Way Antiques Spring Show and Sale during the weekend of May 1-2, and the winning bids will be announced at the close of the show on Sunday.